Formicoxenus nitidulus

Formicoxenus nitidulus
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Formicoxenus
Species:	F. nitidulus
Binomial name
Formicoxenus nitidulus (Nylander, 1846) Specimen Label
Synonyms
Leptothorax nitidulus picea Wasmann, 1906 Myrmica laeviuscula Foerster, 1850

A xenobiont that is unique within Formicoxenus in being able to survive in the nests of at least 11 different ant host species.

At a Glance

• Xenobiotic  • Ergatoid queen

Identification

Reddish yellow to brown: whole surface of body smooth and shining with scattered acute pale hairs. Antennal club 3 segmented as long as rest of funiculus: propodeal spines short, set horizontally. Length: 2.8-3.4 mm (Collingwood 1979).

Seifert (2023) - Worker. Numeric data given are arithmetic means based on measurement of 10 specimens (for standard deviation, minimum and maximum values see Tab. 1). Rather small size, CS 642 µm . Head much elongated, CL/CW 1.270. Clypeus extended caudad, semiglobular, in dorsal view with a semicircular anterior margin. Posterior margin of head straight. Frons extremely broad (FRS/CS 0.513). Scape rather short, SL/CS 0.677. Eye small, EYE/CS 0.186, with long setae (Fig. 9). Dorsal profile of promesonotum and propodeum weakly convex, metanotal depression shallow (MGr/CS 1.34 %). Spines rather short (SP/CS 0.143) and not very acute, their bases rather distant (SPBA/CS 0.324). Petiole with strong anterolateral corners, in profile without peduncle and with a broad subpetiolar lobe. Postpetiolar sternite with a well-developed spine. All surfaces of head, mesosoma, waist and appendages smooth and very shiny, sometimes frontal lobes and genae weakly longitudinally carinulate. Gaster glabrous and with very dilute pubescence. Head, mesosoma, waist, scape, femora and tibiae with scattered and short (PnHL/CS 0.077) setae, tapering apicad and round in cross-section. Color variable from light yellowish brown to nearly blackish brown.

As a combination of smooth and shiny body surfaces, very broad frons, elongated head and extended semiglobular clypeus not to confuse.

Keys including this Species

• Key to Palaearctic Leptothorax and Formicoxenus

Distribution

Spain to Eastern Siberia. North Italy to latitude 70º N (Collingwood 1979).

Eurosiberian, temperate-boreal. The very wide host spectrum allows continuous distribution from Scotland and France to Russian Far East. In Fennoscandia up to 70°N, in the Alps ascending to 2300 m. (Seifert, 2023)

Latitudinal Distribution Pattern

Latitudinal Range: 70.377854° to 40.133333°.

North Temperate	North Subtropical	Tropical	South Subtropical	South Temperate

• Source: AntMaps

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland (type locality), France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Biology

Collingwood (1979) - This ant occurs only in the nests of Formica rufa and allied mound building species. It is ignored by its host among which the xenobiont species moves freely. Individual nests contain only a few individuals, up to about 100, but often several nests are present within one mound of the host. Nests are located in fragments of wood, hollow twigs, bases of old bracken stems and in the earth floor of the Formica mound. Individuals normally remain concealed within the nests but may wander on the mound surface on warm dull days. It is not known to feed on the Formica brood but in captivity will destroy Leptothorax larvae. Males and winged females may be found during July and August. Mating occurring on the surface of the Formica mound.

Ergatoid queens (i.e. wingless at emergence) are frequent. Mated egg-layers include dealate queens and ergatoid queens. Workers and sexuals are able to solicit food from wood ants, either directly, or the guest ant climbs up the legs and thorax to the head of a host ant that is engaged in food exchange with another Formica, then steals a little food from the droplet the two ants have between their mandibles.

Known Hosts

Formicoxenus nitidulus is known to occur in the nests of the following species (Wilson 1971; Holldobler & Wilson 1990; Busch 2001; Martin et al. 2007).

• Formica aquilonia
• Formica exsecta
• Formica lugubris
• Formica pisarskii
• Formica polyctena
• Formica pratensis
• Formica rufa
• Formica truncorum
• Formica uralensis
• Polyergus rufescens
• Tetramorium caespitum

Flight Period

						X	X
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Source: antkeeping.info.

• Check details at Worldwide Ant Nuptial Flights Data, AntNupTracker and AntKeeping.

 Explore: Show all Flight Month data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

Life History Traits

• Queen number: monogynous (Buschinger & Winter, 1976; Frumhoff & Ward, 1992) (functional monogyny)

Castes

Francoeur et al. (1985) described ergatoid queens to have 1-3 ocelli and other traits resembling more or less the winged queens

Queen

Images from AntWeb

Queen (alate/dealate). Specimen code casent0173160. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Male

Images from AntWeb

Male (alate). Specimen code casent0178346. Photographer April Nobile, uploaded by California Academy of Sciences.	Owned by CAS, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• nitidulus. Myrmica nitidula Nylander, 1846b: 1058 (w.) FINLAND.
  • Type-material: holotype worker.
  • Type-locality: Finland: Helsingfors (= Helsinki) (F.W. Maeklin).
  • Type-depository: ZMHF.
  • Nylander, 1849: 34 (q.); Mayr, 1855: 419 (m.).
  • Combination in Formicoxenus: Mayr, 1855: 418.
  • Junior synonym of Stenamma westwoodii: Smith, F. 1871b: 4; André, 1874: 203 (in list); Forel, 1874: 102 (in list); Emery & Forel, 1879: 456.
  • Status as species: Nylander, 1849: 34; Foerster, 1850a: 55; Mayr, 1855: 418 (redescription); Nylander, 1856b: 94; Smith, F. 1857b: 40; Smith, F. 1858b: 121; Meinert, 1861: 328; André, 1882c: 273 (in key); André, 1885: 844; Forel, 1886f: 131; Nasonov, 1889: 28; Lameere, 1892: 66; Dalla Torre, 1893: 62; Wasmann, 1894: 162; Emery, 1895c: 271; Ruzsky, 1896: 71; Saunders, E. 1896: 31; Wheeler, W.M. 1900c: 48; Wheeler, W.M. 1901b: 536; Ruzsky, 1902d: 20; Ruzsky, 1902e: 16; Ruzsky, 1905b: 551; Viehmeyer, 1906: 56; Wasmann, 1906: 120; Emery, 1908f: 551; Bondroit, 1910: 499; Stitz, 1914: 66; Forel, 1915d: 18 (in key); Donisthorpe, 1915d: 83; Emery, 1916b: 190; Ruzsky, 1916: 6; Escherich, 1917: 325; Bondroit, 1918: 141; Müller, 1921: 48; Soudek, 1922: 31; Müller, 1923b: 99; Emery, 1924d: 265; Ruzsky, 1925a: 289; Ruzsky, 1925b: 45; Betrem, 1926: 218; Stärcke, 1926: 84 (in key); Donisthorpe, 1927b: 89; Karavaiev, 1927a: 293; Karavaiev, 1927c: 268 (in key); Lomnicki, 1928: 5; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929a: 30; Kuznetsov-Ugamsky, 1929b: 43; Gösswald, 1932: 96; Arnol'di, 1933b: 598 (in key); Karavaiev, 1934: 147 (redescription); Grandi, 1935: 101; Ruzsky, 1936: 93; Holgersen, 1940: 183; Novák & Sadil, 1941: 84 (in key); Holgersen, 1942: 7; Holgersen, 1944: 168; Ruzsky, 1946: 70; van Boven, 1947: 172 (in key); Dlussky, 1963: 191 (in key); Bernard, 1967: 225 (redescription); Kutter, 1968a: 60; Collingwood & Yarrow, 1969: 73; Baroni Urbani, 1971c: 132; Collingwood, 1971: 160; Bolton & Collingwood, 1975: 3 (in key); Pisarski, 1975: 24; van Boven, 1977: 85; Kutter, 1977c: 144; Arnol’di & Dlussky, 1978: 544 (in key); Collingwood, 1978: 76 (in key); Collingwood, 1979: 78; Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380 (redescription); Agosti & Collingwood, 1987a: 55; Agosti & Collingwood, 1987b: 266 (in key); Nilsson & Douwes, 1987: 58; Radchenko, 1994b: 111 (in key); Bolton. 1995b: 207; Douwes, 1995: 90; Poldi, et al. 1995: 5; Espadaler, 1997b: 29; Gallé, et al. 1998: 215; Czechowski, et al. 2002: 39; Markó & Csösz, 2002: 115; Schulz & Sanetra, 2002: 159; Csösz, & Markó, 2005: 239; Bračko, 2006: 136; Markó, Sipos, et al. 2006: 69; Petrov, 2006: 85 (in key); Bračko, 2007: 17; Seifert, 2007: 230; Radchenko, 2007: 32; Werner & Wiezik, 2007: 140; Zryanin & Zryanina, 2007: 231; Casevitz-Weulersse & Galkowski, 2009: 488; Lapeva-Gjonova, et al. 2010: 19; Boer, 2010: 47; Csösz, et al. 2011: 57; Legakis, 2011: 16; Borowiec, L. & Salata, 2012: 497; Czechowski, et al. 2012: 125; Kiran & Karaman, 2012: 19; Borowiec, L. 2014: 80; Lebas, et al. 2016: 278; Radchenko, 2016: 200; Steiner, et al. 2017: 10; Salata & Borowiec, 2018c: 45; Seifert, 2018: 198; Werner, et al. 2018: 7.
  • Senior synonym of laeviuscula: Mayr, 1855: 418; Nylander, 1856b: 95; Smith, F. 1858b: 121; Dalla Torre, 1893: 63; Ruzsky, 1905b: 551; Donisthorpe, 1915d: 83; Emery, 1924d: 264; Donisthorpe, 1927b: 89; Karavaiev, 1934: 147; Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Bolton, 1995b: 207; Radchenko, 2016: 200.
  • Senior synonym of picea: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Bolton, 1995b: 207; Radchenko, 2016: 200.
  • Material of the nomen nudum Myrmica lucidula Smith, F. 1857b: 39 referred here by Donisthorpe, 1915d: 83; Emery, 1924d: 265; Donisthorpe, 1927b: 89; Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Bolton, 1995b: 207.
  • Distribution: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
  • [Note: distribution from Borowiec, L. 2014: 80.]
• laeviuscula. Myrmica laeviuscula Foerster, 1850a: 54 (q.) GERMANY.
  • Type-material: holotype queen.
  • Type-locality: Germany: Aachen (A. Foerster).
  • Type-depository: MNHU.
  • [Note: depository according to Horn & Kahle, 1935: 78.]
  • [Misspelled as laeviuscala by Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380.]
  • Status as species: Schenck, 1852: 132.
  • Junior synonym of Stenamma westwoodii: André, 1874: 203 (in list); Forel, 1874: 102 (in list); Emery & Forel, 1879: 456.
  • Junior synonym of nitidulus: Mayr, 1855: 418; Nylander, 1856b: 95; Smith, F. 1858b: 121; Dalla Torre, 1893: 63; Ruzsky, 1905b: 551; Donisthorpe, 1915d: 83; Emery, 1924d: 264; Donisthorpe, 1927b: 89; Karavaiev, 1934: 147; Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Bolton, 1995b: 207; Radchenko, 2016: 200.
• picea. Leptothorax nitidulus var. picea Wasmann, 1906: 120 (w.) LUXEMBURG.
  • Type-material: syntype workers (number not stated).
  • Type-locality: Luxemburg: (no further data), in nest of Formica pratensis (E. Wasmann).
  • Type-depository: NMLL.
  • Subspecies of nitidulus: Emery, 1908f: 552; Bondroit, 1918: 141; Emery, 1924d: 265; Stärcke, 1926: 85 (in key); Ruzsky, 1946: 70.
  • Junior synonym of nitidulus: Francoeur, Loiselle & Buschinger, 1985: 380; Bolton, 1995b: 207; Radchenko, 2016: 200.

Type Material

Seifert (2023) reports the following:

Myrmica nitidula: This species has been described from an ergatoid male from Helsingfors (=Helsinki), leg F.W. Maeklin. Investigated were two syntypes on different pins. The first is labelled ‘H: fors’, ‘W. Nyland.’, ‘Mus. Fenn’, ‘Mus. Zool. H: fors Spec. typ. No. 5072 Myrmica nitidula Nyl.’ and the second one with equal labels except for ‘... Spec. typ. No. 5073...’.

Myrmica laeviuscula: This taxon has been described from Aachen from a gyne. Types are probably lost but the original description clearly indicates a synonymy with F. nitidulus. Foerster already considered a possible synonymy but decided to describe a new species because his gyne had 11 antennal segments whereas Nylander’s ‘worker’ (in fact an ergatoid male!) was reported to have 12 segments.

Formicoxenus nitidulus var. picea: This taxon was described from Luxembourg as a very dark (nearly blackish brown) color variant found in a nest of Formica pratensis. The synonymy is obvious.

Description

Seifert (2023) redescribed this species using detailed morphometric data (see Table 1 of his study), as explained in the diagnosis of F. nitidulus (see the identification section on this species page) in comparison with other Palaearctic Leptothorax and Formicoxenus.

Karyotype

• See additional details at the Ant Chromosome Database.

 Explore: Show all Karyotype data or Search these data. See also a list of all data tables or learn how data is managed.

• n = 15 (France) (Buschinger et al., 1980; Francoeur et al., 1985; Fischer, 1987).

References

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